Looking back at the last 5 male players to have lifted the Australian Open title

The Australian Open has been the first Grand Slam event on the tennis calendar, apart from a brief period between 1977 and 1985. The year 1977 had two Australian Open tournaments, one in January and the other in December, owing to a scheduling change.

After 17 consecutive Open Era editions (1970 to 1985) on grass, the tournament transitioned to hardcourt upon shifting to the Melbourne Park Arena in 1987. Owing to another schedule change, the 1986 edition of the Australian Open - which would have been the last Grand Slam tournament of the season - was instead played as the first one of the 1987 season.

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The inaugural Open era edition of the tournament had just 48 players in the draw. The number subsequently increased to 50 in 1972, 56 in 1973 and then to 128 in 1974 (won by Ken Rosewall).

The Australian Open was a 64-player draw from 1975 to 1982. Each of the editions from 1983 to 1985 had 96 players in the draw, before the tournament became a 128-player affair in 1987.

26 different players have lifted the Australian Open since the tournament first opened to professionals in 1969. On that note, let us have a look at the last 5 players to have lifted the title at the first Grand Slam tournament on the ATP calendar.

#5 Stan Wawrinka (2014)

Stanislas Wawrinka made his Grand Slam breakthrough at the 2014 Australian Open

Making his 9th consecutive appearance at the Australian Open, Stan Wawrinka dethroned three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic 9-7 in a 5-set quarterfinal, a year after losing 10-12 in the fifth set of a fourth round clash with the same player.

It was Wawrinka's maiden foray past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in his fourth attempt, three years after being denied in his first Major quarterfinal at the same tournament. The 'other Swiss' downed Tomas Berdych in a four-set semifinal featuring three tiebreaks, to book a title showdown with 2009 champion Rafael Nadal.

Wawrinka had failed to take a set off Nadal in the pair's 12 previous tour meetings, but that was to change on a memorable night for the 28-year-old. Wawrinka blasted his single-handed backhand to devastating effect; Nadal's baseline game was severely punctured in a brutal onslaught from the inspired Swiss.

Having won just five games in the first two sets, an injury to Nadal seemed like a precursor to a swift ending. The Spaniard was not about to give up though; not in a Slam final. Severely hindered in his movement, Nadal found a way to steal the third set as Rod Laver Arena provided a rousing ovation.

But that would be as good as it got for Nadal on the day. Wawrinka re-asserted his ascendancy in the fourth set to become the 26th different player to win the Australian Open and the 53rd to lift a Grand Slam title in the Open Era.

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#4 Rafael Nadal (2009)

Rafael Nadal (L) with Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal could have been forgiven for running on adrenaline alone in the 2009 Australian Open final. He was up against a history-chasing Federer following an exhausting five-set win over compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals.

But that would have been a gross underestimation of the Spaniard's performance on the night. Despite his overtly physical style of play being expected to severely hinder him in the title match against a player who is regarded by many as the living embodiment of poetry on a tennis court, the Spaniard found a way to express his superiority.

Nadal grabbed the initiative after a bizarre opening set featuring as many as five breaks of serve. He then went ahead a break in the second before Federer responded by reeling off four consecutive games to restore parity at a set apiece.

It was absolutely critical for Federer to take the third set against a Nadal digging into the deepest recesses of physical and mental strength just to stay in the contest. But those were the days when Nadal was in the head of Federer; he had conceded only four games in a lopsided 2008 Roland Garros final, dethroned the five-time champion at Wimbledon in an epic final, and usurped the No. 1 ranking from the Swiss maestro.

Federer squandered break points at 4-4 and then at 5-5. His best opportunity to take the win and move level with Pete Sampras' record tally of 14 Grand Slam titles evaporated as Nadal took the third on a tiebreak for a two sets to one lead.

Federer saw an early break lead slip away in the fourth before rallying to force a decider, much to the delight of a capacity crowd on Rod Laver Arena. But that would be as good as it got for the Swiss on the night.

He ran out of steam at 1-2 down in the fifth as Nadal became the first Spanish player to lift the Australian Open title, and the first from his country to win a hardcourt Major.

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#3 Novak Djokovic (2008, 2011-13, 2015-16, 2019)

Djokovic (right) lifts a record 7th Australian Open title in 2019

After being thwarted in his maiden Grand Slam final at the 2007 US Open by Roger Federer, the opportunity for retribution arrived swiftly for Novak Djokovic when the pair locked horns in the semifinal of the 2008 Australian Open.

The Serb emerged a straight-sets victor en route to booking a final clash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Djokovic triumphed there too to become the 50th different player to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era.

Three years later, Djokovic returned to the 'Happy Slam' to lift his second Grand Slam title, and second at the tournament, by beating Andy Murray in the final. There would be no looking back from there.

The Serb recovered from a break deficit in the fifth set of the 2012 final against Rafael Nadal before outlasting the Spaniard. The longest ever Grand Slam title match (5 hours 53 minutes) in the Open Era ensured Djokovic would complete his first successful title defence at a Major.

In 2013, the Serb escaped 12-10 in the fifth set against Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round before beating Murray in the final again, to become the first player to win three consecutive Australian Open titles. After losing to eventual champion Wawrinka in the 2014 quarterfinals, Djokovic beat Murray again in the 2015-16 title matches to go level with Roy Emerson (6) for most titles at the tournament.

Following Federer's consecutive triumphs in 2017-18 which moved the Swiss maestro level with Djokovic for most Australian Open titles in the Open Era, Djokovic dealt Nadal a first-ever straight-sets defeat in a Slam final to become the first player to triumph 7 times at the tournament.

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#4 Roger Federer (2004, 2006-07, 2010, 2017-18)

Federer lifts a record-equaling 6th Australian Open title in 2018

The Australian Open has been one of the happy hunting grounds for Federer during his illustrious career.

Federer's second Grand Slam title, and first at the Australian Open (2004), was the precursor to the Swiss maestro becoming the 23rd different player in the ATP rankings to hold the No. 1 position. He then squandered a match point in a five set 2005 semifinal loss to eventual winner Marat Safin, before returning to pick up consecutive titles in 2006-07.

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The 2007 title was only the second instance (Ken Rosewall - 1971 being the first) of a player winning the Australian Open without dropping a set.

Federer lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2008 semis before suffering his only Australian Open final defeat in 2009, as he went down to an inspired Rafael Nadal in five sets. A fourth title in 2010, following a straight-sets win over Andy Murray in the final, moved Federer level with Andre Agassi for most titles at the tournament in the Open Era.

Although Federer wouldn't reach another title match at the tournament for seven years, the Swiss maestro created a new record for most consecutive semifinals at the Australian Open. He did so on an 11th consecutive occasion in 2014, before losing to Andreas Seppi in the third round in 2015.

Following a four-set semifinal loss to eventual winner Djokovic in 2016, Federer beat his nemesis Nadal in a five-set 2017 final to win a record-extending 18th Grand Slam title - four and a half years after winning his 17th at 2012 Wimbledon.

A year later, Federer prevailed over Marin Cilic in five sets to become the oldest player (36 years) to successfully defend his title at the Australian Open. He then lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a four-set fourth round clash in 2019.

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#1 Marat Safin (2005)

Marat Safin

Marat Safin is the fifth different player to have triumphed at the Australian Open in the last 15 years of the tournament. The Russian did so by beating local favorite Lleyton Hewitt in the 2005 final, having saved a match point against defending champion Roger Federer in a five-set semifinal win.

In the process of winning his second Grand Slam title, Safin became the first player from his country to win the Australian Open since Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1999.

It was Hewitt who started the stronger in the 2005 title match, streaking to a one set lead for the loss of just one game. The Australian was within just two sets of becoming the first home-grown winner at the tournament since Mark Edmondson's 1976 triumph.

Despite Safin restoring parity at a set apiece, Hewitt looked to be the one in the ascendancy at 4-1 up in the third. But the Aussie unraveled spectacularly as Safin won seven consecutive games to close out a four-set win.